


Sensing Angel

by OnceUponADestiel (Jems_of_Grace)



Series: Sensory Overload [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Destiel - Freeform, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, POV!Dean, Senses, angel!cas - Freeform, bunker!fic, dean/cas - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:30:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3887587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jems_of_Grace/pseuds/OnceUponADestiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean experiences Cas through each of the five senses. </p><p>It all starts one morning when Dean walks into the kitchen to find a semi-naked Castiel, attempting to make coffee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. See

Dean had always known that he was attracted to Cas, it wasn't a new idea.

Heck, he'd been unsuccessfully fighting off that particular chain of thoughts since the angel had stepped into that barn all those years ago.

He had long ago got used to the fluttering sensation in his stomach that always accompanied the arrival of his friend. It almost seemed to be an automatic physiological symptom to the sound of Cas's wings.

He had gotten used to it. He'd had to. Even when his feelings for his friend grew and changed and morphed into something that he had never experienced with regard to anyone else before. He had learnt not to react. To breathe. To hold it together.

But that didn't make it any easier, when he walked into the bunker's kitchen early one morning to find a semi-naked Castiel making coffee.

Dean stopped dead in his tracks, already planning his retreat. He had his back to Dean but of course the angel had heard him, _dammit!_ 'Good morning, Dean,' he said without turning around.

And Dean momentarily tore his eyes away from that long stretch of bare skin to mutter a 'Mornin' Cas,' in the direction of the floor. He let his eyes wonder back, seemingly unable to prevent himself from gawping for too long. He was starring pretty hard as though trying to take in as much as he could whilst he still had a chance but feeling like a bit of a pervert.

He couldn't help it though, the way those upper back muscles were rippling, almost looking like wings hidden beneath his skin, without all that angel crap. His eyes trailed downwards to the base of Cas's back where two perfect dimples were indented on either side of his spine just above the waistband of his navy boxers.

And there was a sight to behold all on its own; thin cotton falling loosely over firm ass cheeks. Dean's eyes roved over every crease, he could have starred in that direction all day but already his brain felt like it was short circuiting so he pressed on, determined to drink in every detail before Cas turned around.

Cas had thick muscular thighs which could only belong to the legs of a runner. Fine black hairs trailed their way from underneath Cas's boxer shorts, making their way steadily down the backs of his legs but thinning out as they reached his calves. Dean found himself staring all the way down to the backs of those bare ankles, just in case he missed something, before reigning himself in, turning to the side slightly and taking a deep breath. 'Um, so... what're you doing?' he asked, more out of a need to distract himself rather than out of any particular interest. He could feel himself growing all hot, the heat fast spreading southwards and he took a seat at the table just as Cas turned around, attempting to hide any embarrassing tenting that may or may not be making itself known in the front of his own boxers.

Not that seeing Cas from the front exactly helped matters, in fact he was left feeling a little breathless, not taking in a word that his friend was saying.

_Pull yourself together, Winchester!_

If Dean had thought the view from behind was _good_ , well the view full frontal was pretty much _divine_.

He found himself working his way upwards this time, trying to make his way up to Cas's face as fast as he could but finding himself helplessly lingering over certain areas.

There were Cas's runner's legs, again - all that taught muscle looking like it was dying to have a pair of hands run over them. Then there was the front of those fucking navy cotton boxers, a sizable bulge nestled front and center. 'Fuck...' Dean accidentally let the sound escape under his breath, hoping Cas hadn't noticed. Dean gave a small gulp and quickly moved on as he felt something beneath the table twitch.

Then there were those _hip bones_ and sweet mother of all that is holy, they were fucking _gorgeous_. Dean found his eyes compelled to linger there, wanting to run his tongue beneath the underline of them, wanting to press his lips into them... He forced his eyes a little further upwards, taking in that flat stomach, toned arms and lean chest. Small pink nipples standing erect in the cold morning air. The dark growth of Cas's chest hair which dwindled away as it made its way southwards, petering out to a point as it disappeared under the hemline of his boxers.

Dean tried not to lick his lips but somehow his tongue slipped out anyway, leaving his lips wet before he could force it back into his mouth.

Then there was that neck which he could happily lick stripes up, ears his tongue might greedily seek out... rough stubbly jawline, ghosting like a dark sexy shadow beneath high cheek bones. Thin pink lips, slightly open, revealing a line of straight white teeth. A dark shock of messy bed hair, sticking up all over the place almost like fine black feathers and practically begging to have Dean's fingers running through it...

Then there was his favorite feature which he'd unwittingly left until last. Those _damn eyes_! Hiding beneath long dark lashes; his irises - the kind of blue the sky only turns to before a freak summer storm, a kind of bottomless blue, you might say, oceanic... and then those pupils at the center, they seemed surprised, almost, taken aback...

And then Dean blinked, pulling himself out of those depths and asking in a most ineloquent fashion, 'What?'

Cas squinted his eyes as he repeated the question, 'I said, 'I can't seem to get the coffee machine working. Am I doing something wrong?' but you seemed a little...' he thought for a minute, before choosing the right word, nodding his head with certainty as he finished, '...distracted.' Dean let the implication of these words sink in, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks again. He'd been caught red handed. But Cas didn't seem to be accusing him of anything. In fact, he barely seemed interested, turning away again now and banging on about how he can never get the coffee to taste as good as Dean can anyway.

Dean blinked, feeling a sense of relief wash over him mixed with something that might have been disappointment. He stared at the back of Cas's head again, thinking tiredly, how it might feel to just walk over there and plant a kiss on his cheek. To not even have to think about it. To just do it because it felt right.

But he couldn't.

Cas was just so sweetly perfect. So altogether something _other_ , something wonderful and Dean didn't deserve that. He doubted Cas would want it from him anyways. He needed someone better, someone stronger than him. Someone who wouldn't break so easily...

Dean gave another sigh before leaving the room without explanation. He couldn't look at Cas anymore right now but Cas looked on after him, wondering...

 


	2. Hear

A few days had passed since the 'incident' in the kitchen. Although it had probably barely been a blip on Cas's radar, Dean had been thinking about it _a lot_ since.

Whilst Cas stuck around, his thoughts were mostly chastising: _What was I thinking? Gotta start using my upper brain around Cas more often. If he knew... if he'd realized!_ His thoughts often spiraling into something almost panic stricken:  _He'd be disgusted... think there's gotta be something wrong with me. I'm so gross. What was I even doing? He's my best friend! He deserves better than that..._

After Cas left again, doing god knows what (or maybe he doesn't) for those other frigging angels, his thoughts tumbled into a momentary minute of paranoia:  _What if he did know? What if he worked it out! He probably felt sick._ But fortunately this was quickly followed up by the realization that he was likely freaking out about nothing. Cas had angel business to attend to, that's all there was to it. It wasn't like he wasn't always leaving anyway...

Later, as he lay alone in bed, desperately aware of the other side, forever empty; he let his mind wonder to that morning in the kitchen again, thankful for every small detail he'd preserved in his memory, his hand helplessly snaking under the covers and coming to rest on his very interested cock. The memories came flooding back fast and clear after that and for the first time he allowed himself to whack off to thoughts of a semi-naked Cas stood making coffee in the kitchen. Thinking about what he'd wanted to do _to_ him, what he wanted to do _with_ him... until he came hard, feeling the gloopy mess of still warm cum puddle against his stomach.

He lay there gasping, feeling the familiar sensation of shame begin to settle over him which always made itself known after he jerked off to thoughts of the angel. Not to mention a more carnal sense of dissatisfaction. It just wasn't the same, memories and imagination can only take you so far...

He fell asleep with thoughts of stormy blue eyes ghosting over the periphery of his dreams.

The following morning Dean was awoken by the sound of his phone vibrating beneath his pillow. The continuous _buzz buzz_ filling him with irritation before he'd even opened his eyes. 

With a grunt, he snapped the phone to his ear, breaking open his eyes, reluctantly taking in light as he muttered 'Hello,' into the receiver.

'Hello, Dean,' came the raspy response from the other end of the line and Dean's eyes opened wide in surprise. He wasn't sure why he hadn't expected it to be Cas; there weren't many other contacts listed on his phone after all but he'd only been gone a day and Dean hadn't been expecting to hear from him again anytime soon. 

'Hey, Cas,' he answered softly, feeling a wave of relief settle over him. He sat up, closing his eyes again as he gave the voice on the other end of the phone his full attention. 'It's good to hear from you.'

It was a stupid thing to say, Dean realized three seconds too late. It was the kind of thing you might say to someone you hadn't heard from for half a year. Not the kind of thing you said to someone you'd only seen the day before. Cas didn't seem to mind though. As ever, blissfully unaware of societal norms.

'Yes... I needed to speak to you... although now I'm on the phone... I'm not entirely sure why...'

Dean frowned, 'Well... I'm sure it'll come back to you?'

'Yes.'

'What're you up to anyways?' he asked in an attempt to jog Cas's memory. And since when did an angel need help with _that_ anyway?

'I've been trying to track down another rogue angel. She's avoiding me. Not entirely surprising after what happened with Daniel and Adina. No doubt word has reached her...' Dean found himself pressing the phone hard against his ear as though what Cas was saying was desperately important to him. Cas continued to explain the events of his previous day, his voice scratching out over the intercom like nails down a chalk board. _But not in a bad way,_ Dean thought vaguely. He could hear the sound of Cas's voice vibrating right down to his toes.

'How about you, Dean? How are things back at the bunker?' 

'Oh, y'know. Fine,' he said automatically, not so keen to talk about himself but eager to hear Cas's voice echoing into his ear again. 'Not a lot happening. Sammy's been looking for another case but so far nada... How long d'yeh think you're gonna be?'

He hadn't meant it to come out like that. Had intended it as an offhand comment of little significance.  _Now I just sound plain needy._

'I'm not sure,' came the croaky response. 'Maybe another day. Maybe two. It all depends...' he cut himself short, apparently lost in thought. 'But if she really doesn't want to be found... and she doesn't seem to be doing any harm...' he seemed to be thinking out loud and Dean was only too happy to lend his ear to Cas's thought processes. 'I may just leave her be...' he finished a tad uncertainly.  _  
_

'Wow. Really? Won't your boss upstairs be mad?'

'Hannah is not my _boss_ , Dean,' Cas scoffed, making Dean smile. 'And whether they're mad or not, it makes little difference if I can't find her.'

'Yeah, I guess...'

'Besides, I want-' he seemed to check himself and apparently decided not to continue. Dean's eyes opened wide, willing him to keep talking but the line had gone silent.

'What d'you want, Cas?'

'I-' it was like he wanted to say but some part of him was determinedly holding back. 'It doesn't matter, Dean. What _I_ want is of little relevance.'

'It has relevance to me,' Dean found himself responding a little heatedly. 'I mean... of course it's relevant. You matter _too_ , Cas,' which quite possibly sounded worse. Dean closed his eyes again, cringing as he waited for Cas's response.

'Thank you, Dean,' he said eventually. 'That means a lot. Really... and I remember why I called.'

'Yeah?'

'I just wanted to talk to you.' Dean felt his breath catch in his throat. _That's funny,_  he thought.  _'Cause all I wanted to do was listen._

 


	3. Smell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't get this chapter up yesterday like I originally planned; I've been really bummed about the whole Charlie fiasco, came down with a cold that makes me feel like I'm wading through syrup instead of air, plus, y'know, my kids... so I really couldn't face picking up a pen. Will try to get the next chapter up tomorrow but might not manage it 'cause I really need to spend some time on my DCBB and I have seventeen pages of Just Another Season to type up ('cause I'm old school and like to write nearly everything out by hand first) so, yeah... there are all my excuses. Hope you enjoy this chapter anyways, Jems xxx

Cas comes back one evening when Sam and Dean have nothing better to do than sit around watching re-runs of Game of Thrones. Dean had insisted they re-watch all of the previous four seasons in readiness for the new season coming out soon because he couldn't properly remember everything that had happened.

Castiel parks himself on the couch next to Dean and launches into details of some case he stumbled across on the way here. Sam says they'll look into it the following morning because it's already pretty late and they'll both work better after a good nights sleep and Dean reluctantly agrees. He's been enjoying having some quiet time off.

Not long after that the episode ends and Sam takes himself off to bed despite the cliffhanger the episode finishes on. Dean should probably go to bed too but he can't properly remember what happens next and Cas is sat next to him and it's nice to have him back and he's not ready to say goodnight to him just yet when he only just arrived. Cas doesn't really say anything, just watches the program with a serious expression on his face like he's expecting to be tested on it. And Dean realizes after not so long that he's probably been watching Cas more than Game of Thrones anyway... It's pretty cozy curled up here on the couch next to his best friend and he can feel himself growing sleepier by the second, his eyes heavier, everything softening around the edges...

He wakes up about eight hours later and the first thing he becomes aware of is the really pleasant scent that he's breathing in. It's kind of sweet but with spicy undertones that make him want to wrap himself up in it. He allows himself to inhale the scent a little longer, taking in deep breathes through his nose, burying his head deeper into the soft fabric beneath his face. It truly was a glorious smell. He hadn't opened his eyes yet but he slowly registered the sound of voices not so far away. It seemed like there were quite a few people involved in their conversation and Dean frowned in his sleep wondering how many people had invaded his home this early in the morning just so they could disturb him from sleep. He couldn't really remember but he was sure he'd been having unusually pleasant dreams which hadn't happened in a really long time.

After a couple of minutes he realized he could hear the sound of a perfume advertisement and ten seconds later it clicked that the TV was still on and that very likely there was no one in the bunker at all aside from he and his brother. And Cas.

He snuggled deeper into the something soft as his thoughts began to collect themselves. He must have fallen asleep on the couch last night. Next to Cas.

Dean sat up really fast, almost like he'd been shot, 'M-morning, Cas!' he gasped, realizing he'd been rubbing up against Cas's chest and that the soft fabric beneath his face had been Cas's shirt. He could feel his face heating up as he took in what had happened. Cas seemed a little surprised by Dean's sudden return to consciousness but was otherwise unperturbed. 

'Good morning, Dean. I trust you slept well?'

'Uh,' Dean said eloquently, averting his eyes. Clearly Cas hadn't moved an inch all night. 'What happened? How did I-' he gestured between the two of them, clearly uncomfortable although judging by Cas's expression he didn't understand why.

'You fell asleep... on me...'

'Yeah... sorry about that,' he said rubbing the back of his neck, unable to meet Cas's eyes.

'It's not a problem, Dean. Is it?' and he looked so confused that Dean couldn't bring himself to spoil his innocence. Clearly Castiel did not understand that men don't ordinarily snuggle up with their very male best friends. He also has a feeling that Cas wouldn't appreciate that line of reasoning...

Thankfully he's interrupted before he can bring himself to respond. Sam walks into the room, already fully dressed and showered by the looks of him, flicking his perfect hair behind his ears like it's nothing. Bastard.

'Oh good. You're up already,' he says walking off in the direction of the kitchen, probably to make some kind of healthy muesli for his breakfast and leaving Dean starring gormlessly at Cas.  

'No. It's not a problem,' he says at last. 'Of course not.'

 

-

 

Later that day Dean's standing in a morgue watching as Sam gets his fingers dirty. Fortunately for Dean, his 'little' brother had drawn the short straw on this occasion because the smell coming from the corpse they were checking out was absolutely rancid. The body might only be a day old but Dean didn't want to put his fingers anywhere near it, thank you very much. Latex gloves or not.

'Oh man, this is so grim,' his brother complained as he inspected the fatal wound. 'Are you sure you-'

'No,' Dean said firmly before Sam could even finish the sentence. He was standing well back and trying not to gag. Evidently Sam had a stronger stomach for this kind of thing than he did. 

Cas walked into the room, looking his usual serious self. 'I've just been talking to the pathologist and she says she's never seen anything like it.'

'Yeah, tell us something we don't know,' Dean said, uncovering his nose and mouth for a second to answer Cas. He was stood pretty close to Dean and a waft of that scent he'd smelt earlier that morning drifted over to him. It was a relief to smell something so pleasing and he found himself taking a step closer just so he could breathe in a little more Cas-ness and a little less putrid corpse. 

Cas was frowning at him but it seemed to have less to do with Dean's proximity and more to do with what he'd said. 

'Did you know that all babies are colorblind at birth and that men are ten times more likely to be colorblind than women?'

 _Wow, he can be seriously literal sometimes._ 'Uh, no, Cas. No, I didn't know that.'

'Do you require me to continue dispersing new knowledge or should I stop now?' 

'You can carry on if it makes you happy,' Dean said, honestly thankful for the distraction.

'Very well. Did you know that tinnitus afflicts fifteen percent of the American population and that it is an ancient condition even described on clay tablets from Assyria?'

'No. No, I also did not know that.' Okay he was being really random but whatever.

'Did you know that-' and Cas was looking positively giddy by now. Apparently he enjoyed relaying all this random information to Dean. Dean found himself unconsciously leaning into him as he continued to speak, seeking out that enticing smell but also just generally drawn to Cas. '-the skin is the human body's largest organ and that it contains more than four million sensory receptors?'

'No,' Dean said softly this time, totally oblivious to his brother looking up and watching them closely.

'Did you know that there are at least four different taste receptors - sour, salty, bitter and sweet - which are distributed randomly across the surface of your tongue?'

'Huh,' Cas said tongue. And Dean had long since, surpassed Cas's personal space, breathing in deeply and glancing at his friend's lips.

'Ahem,' Sam coughed loudly, looking back down at the body and smirking when Dean sprang away from Cas like he was suddenly allergic. 'Um, so I think I've worked out why this guy bit the dust,' he said holding up a bloody hand and showing them the sharp teeth sitting in his palm. 

 

-

 

It's lunch time and they've found a diner to sit in and do their research. Sam's laptop perched on the table between them. Cas is up at the front looking at the desserts in the display case and Dean is watching him with a smile on his face. Unbeknownst to him, Sam is watching _him_ as _he_ watches Cas.

'So, what's going on with you two anyways?' he says at last. Dean looks guiltily around at his brother.

'What?'

'You and Cas. What's going on?'

'Going on,' Dean scoffs. 'Nothing's going on... I dunno what you're talking about.'

'Ahuh,' Sam responds skeptically whilst Dean stares down at his empty plate. 'Like earlier in the morgue, you were leaning in _really_ close to him. Like really _really_ close and-'

'Yeah, Sam. I get it,' Dean snapped but he had his excuses made up already. 'Couldn't help it, all right? It smelt really bad in there and Cas, I dunno... the dude just smells good.'

'What?'

'He _smells_ good,' Dean said slowly. 'You never noticed that before?' Sam shook his head, he honestly hadn't but he continued to carefully watch Dean's face as he spoke. 'Like cinnamon and... apple...' he has an almost wistful expression on his face. Sam would go so far as to call it  _dreamy_. 'Dude smells like a giant angelic apple pie or somethin'.'

'Wow.'

'Yeah, I know right? Who smells like that?'

'No I mean, that's like a really big compliment. Coming from you.'

'Right,' Dean says rolling his eyes. 'You think he wears some kind of weird angel cologne or something?'

'I dunno, Dean. Maybe it's just his natural scent,' Dean's nodding and then notices the slight smirk on Sam's face.

'Shut up.'

Cas slid into the seat next to Dean. 'They have a variety of desserts on display. The cherry pie in particular looks delicious.'

Sam can't resist the jibe. 'What, no apple?' he says in mock horror, casting his brother another grin. Dean sent him back his best _go fuck yourself_ face which only made Sam grin harder. He then made a show of standing up and leaning over the table to sniff Cas. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and then leaned back surprised. Dean looked smug. 'Huh. Dean's right. You _do_ smell good,' he said sitting back down and smirking across at Dean who resumed his previous grumpy disposition.

'Do I?' Cas asked turning to Dean for confirmation. 'What kind of smell?'

'Like _cinnamon and apples_ ,' Sam said happily before Dean could answer.

It was true though, Dean thought as he caught a whiff of it again. And this time he was completely aware of what he was doing when he leaned in closer to Cas.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, there you go. Hope you enjoyed. If anyone's interested in the facts on senses, you can find them all here: http://communitytable.com/108964/jenniferkhan/29-surprising-facts-about-your-senses/
> 
> Not sure that I wrote the beginning of this chapter very well, seems a little stilted for my taste, so I may come back to edit at a later date. Let me know what you think. Thanks again for the lovely kudos and comments, Jems xxx


	4. Feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken me ages to get up and I know it's not my best writing of all time but I hope you can glean a bit of enjoyment from it just the same. I may come back at a later date and attempt to fine tune it. So anyway, here's the touchy feely chapter:

After Sam's confrontation in the diner, Dean found himself growing increasingly careless. _Sam knows_ , he figured. Although his brother hadn't really said as much.

 _Yes_ , he admitted to himself, _I like being close to Cas._ But he would rarely, if ever, put himself in a situation where that would be immediately obvious. It just wasn't something he was necessarily comfortable with. But comfortable or not, it did seem to come naturally to him. On some subconscious level, he was starting to relax into the idea but he hated the lack of control he seemed to have whenever Cas was around. 

And (not that Dean was complaining but) Cas seemed to be around a lot more recently. 

Or maybe Dean had just become more aware of his presence (although he'd been pretty aware of him to begin with). These days he felt like he was set to hyper alert. His nerve endings honing in and sending an electric jolt running through him every time Cas entered the room.

Then there was the fact that he couldn't seem to stop himself from getting close to Cas. Whenever Cas was around Dean found himself physically holding himself back from his friend. Wanting to reach out and touch something he couldn't have was like a kind of torture and he spent many a lonely night letting his imagination wonder into what that might be like... to really _feel_ Cas. To get _so_ close to him, to wrap themselves up in each other _so_ tightly that they didn't know what was Dean and what was Cas anymore...

Dean's body seemed to gravitate towards Cas without first seeking out his brain's permission. A tug on the collar of his trench coat, flipping his tie over and then pretending to be irritated when it turned back on itself. Cas didn't make even the slightest sound of objection, just kept his eyes on him, watching in silence, possibly curious but barely interested really. Apparently this was normal for them. Dean looked away as Cas strode off whilst Sam clapped him on the shoulder and informed him that they were positively domestic. Dean shrugged him off and told him to shut his mouth.

There were the little touches, the ones which were almost by accident like a reassuring hand to the shoulder when Cas looked worried, or even the way their arms jostled together as they walked along side one another. Sometimes Dean would sit a little too close to Cas and wouldn't notice until Sam gave a pointed cough. Cas would look at Sam with concern whilst Dean's eyes widened comically and he moved away in a not so subtle fashion.

One time, they finished up early on a case and retired to their motel room wanting to do nothing more than flunk out. Cas and Sam ended up watching TV. Dean leaned over the back of the couch to ask if they wanted him to order pizza for dinner. Sam gave a grouchy unenthusiastic reply which Dean took to be a yes whilst Cas explained patiently that he was an angel and as such sustenance was unnecessary. 'Yeah, I know,' Dean replied completely unfazed. 'Doesn't mean you _can't_ eat if you want to.' He was smiling down at Cas absentmindedly, feeling something light and feathery beneath his fingertips. Cas continued to watch the TV without further comment and Dean looked down at his hands and realized he'd been weaving his fingers into Cas's hair without even realizing it. Cas wasn't exactly discouraging him, if anything he was leaning into Dean's touch and Dean, starring down at the fine dark hairs threaded between his fingers, couldn't quite bring himself to stop. He'd fantasized about this _so many times._  He'd half forgotten what he'd been talking about when Sam interrupted his thought process.

'So you gonna order that pizza?' Dean tore his eyes away from the top of Cas's head and locked eyes with his brother. Sam raised an eyebrow and Dean sprang backwards as though he'd been electrocuted. 

Sam smirked. 

That wasn't the only time he found himself feeling out for Cas before he'd even realized it. 

There was that time Dean convinced Cas to try some of his apple pie à la mode and there was ice cream in the corner of Cas's mouth. Before Dean even registered what he was doing he was reaching out a hand to brush away the offending smudge. Cas's mouth was perfect, all pink and kind of dry beneath Dean's fingertip. He could have sat there all day running his finger over the chapped surface but he became increasingly aware that his brother was starring at him out the corner of his eye.  

Dean quickly pulled his arm back, resisting the urge to run the back of his hand over Cas's five o'clock shadow. He starred down at his empty bowl, blinking himself back to reality. And then Sam, who was apparently in an accommodating mood, said something about the case and Dean was able to slip into the conversation as though nothing weird had just happened. 

Then there were the more purposeful touches, the ones Dean was perfectly aware he'd decided to do. He wasn't sure when it started, all he knew was that Cas hadn't said no yet and Dean wasn't stopping until he did. Even when everything inside him was screaming out to stop before he got too close. Before he got rejected. But Cas never rejected him. He wondered sometimes whether Cas even registered some of the touches between them half of the time. And Dean was allowing himself more of these lapses every day. 

There was one time when Dean hovered close besides Cas's ear as he muttered that Sam was being a douche. Moments later Cas was copying the gesture, murmuring close to Dean's face that Dean was being unfair and Dean found himself pretty much ignoring what he was saying in favor of concentrating on the feel of Cas's lips just scraping against the side of his ear as Dean leaned into him.

Sam rolled his eyes in the background, not that either of the other men noticed. 

One time Cas was sat on the couch opposite Sam. Dean sat on the arm of the chair next to him, his legs hanging over Cas's lap. He was leaning into Cas, laughing about how Cas couldn't fix his own tie and Cas was smiling bemusedly back as Dean knotted it perfectly for him. Then he remembered his brother was sat right there and he looked up wearily to see Sam starring at them. He seemed to have moved past teasing by this point though so despite the fact that Dean was practically sat on Cas's knee he just gave Dean a smile before looking back down at his laptop. Dean didn't really know what to make of it. 

There was another time when Dean worked himself into a state worrying about where Sam had disappeared to that evening and Cas attempted to calm him down with simple reassuring words that Dean wasn't ready to listen to. Seconds later, his phone was ringing out of his pocket. It was Sam. He answered the phone 'Where are you?' the tone of his voice making his anger easily evident.

'Sorry - I forgot to mention... so there's this case I've been researching - y'know the weird family curse thing?' Dean knew the one he meant but decided to let his displeasure known through his silence. 'Anyways... I found out that one of their great ancestors lived not far from us so I decided to come check out the place, y'know... so far seems like a bust but I really thought I was onto something for a second...' he trailed off lamely. And Dean got it. He really did. He could just picture his brother as he came across this new information that had the potential to give him a lead in a thus far dead end case. He would have rushed out the door and in his excitement neglected to tell Dean he was leaving. 

'Fuck's sake, Sammy. I was going out of my mind here - you've been gone hours!'

'I know, I know... That's _why_ I called.' And Dean knew his brother felt frustrated at being on the end of such a short leash sometimes. I mean, he was a grown man after all... Dean decided to cut him some slack. 'I'll be back in a couple of hours. Tops. If anything changes, I'll give you another call. How's that?'

'Yeah, yeah. But if I don't hear from you-'

'Yeah, I know. You'll track my ass down. Jeez, Dean, I get it,' and with that he hung up.

'How d'ya like that?' Dean thundered throwing the phone down on the couch. 'I show just a _little bit_ of concern and-'

'I'm sure Sam knows you have his best interests at heart,' Castiel interrupted before Dean could get himself agitated again.

'Yeah, I guess he just needs room to breathe now and then...' Cas squinted across at Dean.

'I don't think he needs miles of space between you to take in oxygen.' Which made Dean laugh because it was such a typically Cas thing to say. The angel looked curious, apparently wondering what he had said to spark such a reaction in his friend and Dean starred back at him fondly, consciously choosing to reach out a hand and stroke down the side of Cas's face, feeling the friction of stubble under his hand and trying to hold himself back a little. He wasn't sure how he did it but Cas always made him feel better, even if it was mostly accidental.

Cas's head tilted to the side and Dean knew that Cas was probably wondering what he was doing. He'd crossed a lot of boundaries recently, completely forgoing any previous mentions of personal space. But he wasn't sure he could leap across that last one just yet, even with Cas staring at him like that. He wanted to envelop himself in everything that was his best friend, encompass himself in the weight of his arms and the warmth of his skin. But he couldn't give Cas anything in return for that. So he held back, trying to convince himself he could be satisfied with the little touches.

 


	5. Taste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me ages longer than I originally said, again. But here it is and lets be honest - this is probably the chapter we've all been waiting for :)

Dean shouldn't have been surprised that his observations hadn't gone unnoticed. After all, he hadn't exactly been subtle about it. Nevertheless, he wasn't exactly expecting Cas to confront him.

They were out on surveillance one night, parked up in the depths of a forest of all places, when Cas randomly (in Dean's opinion) decided to broach the subject. Of course, he made a point of getting Sam out of the way first, so Dean had a feeling something must be up.

'One of us should scout the area,' he'd said, perfectly innocently from the back seat. They'd been waiting in the car for a good few hours by this point, bored stiff by the lack of activity - there hadn't been so much as a disturbing breeze so far. Dean had long since come to the conclusion that nothing was going to happen and long suspected the others of thinking the same thing but it seemed that no one wanted to be the first to say it.

'You're not going out there alone,' Dean had burst out fiercely, just as Cas had known he would. 'That thing kills angels!'

'Fine,' and Cas didn't quite manage to look irritated enough for Dean's liking. 'That  _thing_ doesn't seem to be showing up so it makes little difference but seeing as you insist on being overprotective... Sam?'

'Yeah... I'll go,' Sam answered from besides Dean, one hand on the door lever as he glanced between his brother and the angel.

'Why though?' Dean asked grumpily; he was already feeling suspicious of Cas's motive. 'Can't you just reach out with your angel mojo?'

'No,' Cas said, stony faced. 'I can't.' It was bare faced lie and everyone in the car knew it. Dean figured that Cas probably wouldn't send Sam out completely unprotected if he could actually sense any danger lurking between the trees. Probably. I mean, who knew exactly what an angel was capable of when he had his mind set on something.

Sam seemed happy enough to get away from them both anyway and before Dean could raise any further objections, he'd unraveled his long legs out of the door, slamming it behind him thus departing with any pretense they might be holding about potential danger. Dean watched his brother's retreating back as he disappeared into the darkness, before turning around to face Cas's glare coming at him from the back seat.

'What's this about, Cas?' he figured there was no point beating about the bush.

'It has come to my attention that you have been observing me closer than usual and-'

'Not  _much_ closer,' Dean butted in obstinately. He knew how it sounded but it was the truth and maybe he was passed trying to hide it. It was a fact that he had _always_ observed Cas pretty damn closely, thank you very much. 

'And,' Cas continued, sounding a trifle irritable. 'I was wondering why?'

'Why?' Dean felt baffled. 'It's not obvious?' But of course this was Cas he was talking to. 

'No.'

'Huh. Um...' he didn't know how to say it.

'You're not denying it at least. I thought you would.'

'No. I couldn't.' Also true. No matter what he said to Sam, it was impossible to lie to Cas about this.

'But you still find it difficult to talk about.' And Cas didn't sound confused, more accepting.  _Wow, he knows me so well..._ 'Would it help if I told you what I've err... observed you... observing?' Dean nodded his head feeling slightly sick. He wasn't sure he could stomach listening to Cas reveal exactly how much he knew about his observations. Worse, he feared the disgust that would surely make itself known in Cas's tone of voice.

'First there was that morning I was making coffee.'

'Yeah,' Dean said, his voice hoarse. 

'I had taken a shower in the bunker to refresh myself. Not necessary for an angel maybe but an aspect of humanity I actually miss experiencing. Regardless... it doesn't quite feel the same anymore... showers, coffee...' and Dean felt a pang of sadness for his friend and the warped sensations he must be exposed to owing to his angelic state. '...and then you walked in and... and I could feel your eyes on me from the first second... and you didn't look away.' Dean was relieved to find that Cas didn't sound even slightly disgusted, more curious.

'Eyes in the back of your head, Cas?'

'I'm an angel, Dean. What's more, an angel who is highly attuned to _you_ in particular.

'Right,' Dean said, a little exasperated. 'Of course you are.' Cas didn't repeat what they both already knew about profound bonds. It didn't need to be said. Everyone knew.

'And then there was that time I called-'

'Jesus, Cas! Is this really necessary?' Dean asked, looking away from Cas and rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

'I think so. Unless you can explain yourself of your own volition?' he looked at Dean quizzically, waiting but Dean just shook his head still not looking Cas straight in the eye. 'I called and you listened even though neither one of us had anything to say.'

'That's just what friends _do_ , Cas,' he said feebly but Cas looked doubtful. 

'Then there was that day when you seemed to forget your previous issues with regard to personal space.' Dean rolled his eyes. Of course Cas had picked up on that one. Sam had tipped him off after all. 'You kept inhaling whenever you came near me, deeper than was strictly necessary, I thought...'

'What are you getting at, Cas?'

'It seems like you've been trying to sense something from me. Something new perhaps? Although I can assure you, Dean: I haven't changed. You've done sight, sound, scent...'

'You missed one out,' Cas cocked his head to one side, his eyes squinted but he didn't say anything. 'Touch,' Dean explained, looking up into Cas's face now. 'How could you miss that one out? Every time I ran my fingers through your hair, or brushed my hand over your cheek or maybe just sat a little too close...'

'That- that was a part of this?' he sounded gobsmacked and Dean squinted at him in the dark. _Doesn't he get it?_

'I guess. Although you seem to be acting under the presumption that I've been doing all these things on purpose.'

'You haven't?'

'Not really. Sometimes, maybe. But mostly it's been unintentional. I never set out to do those things, y'know...'

'So why?' Dean shrugged his shoulders. If Cas _still_ didn't understand... well, Dean wasn't sure he had it in his to spell it out for him... damn, angels. 'And it is also worth noting, Dean,' and at this point, Cas's blue eyes seemed to glow a little brighter and his lips twitched into the ghost of a smirk that was gone before it was fully formed. 'That you also have missed one out.'

'I- I have?' Dean wasn't sure that he liked where this was going.

'Well, humans have been saying for years that they have five senses. That was Aristotle's fault. You actually have twenty-one.'

'Okay.'

'But traditionally, five senses: to see, to hear, to smell, to feel... and to taste.' Dean's heart thudded hard against his chest and his mouth grew dry.

'Oh, yeah...'

'Do you want to taste me Dean?'

Dean felt his breath catch in his throat. How was he supposed to answer that? 'Uh...' Cas raised an eyebrow in a way that seemed incredibly suggestive for an ordinarily clueless angel. 

Cas looked down at his hands, turning them over as though his words barely interested him. 'It would complete your sensory experiment after all.'

'Yeah... yeah, I guess it would,' Dean finally got out a little breathlessly. 'I... uh...'. 

'Which part of me would you like to taste?' Dean couldn't speak. He starred at Cas open mouthed. How the fuck was he supposed to answer that. His first thought was _all of you_ and then his thoughts jumped to more private places and he felt his cheeks heat up as he blushed crimson in the dark. Unfortunately Cas was an angel and the dark didn't exactly hinder his perceptions. Okay, there was no doubt about it, Cas was definitely smirking this time. _Screw him,_ Dean thought, suddenly emboldened. _Two can play at this game._   

Dean reached forward, holding Cas's jaw firmly in one hand and pulling his face across the back of the car towards him. Cas's eyes widened and it was Dean's turn to look triumphant. 'Hmm... I dunno, what about here?' Dean said touching Cas's lips gently with one finger. 'Can I taste here?' Cas nodded soundlessly as Dean's face loomed over him, pecking their lips together in a chaste kiss. Cas looked slightly disappointed. 

'That was hardly a _taste_ , Dean,' he scoffed. 'I don't think that adds anything to your research.' Dean nodded his head in serious agreement.

'Yeah. Yeah, maybe you're right... maybe I should taste in here instead?' and he pushed one of his fingers between Cas's lips, watching as it slid into the warm wet confines of his mouth. Cas nodded eagerly, still with Dean's finger in his mouth and Dean grinned before moving in again, popping his finger out and replacing it with his lips and tongue. And, oh fuck, it was glorious. Cas tasted fantastic, like salt and fresh air and there was that cinnamon undertone again... Dean's tongue eagerly lapped around his mouth, licking into every crevice and sliding along Cas's tongue whilst the angel moaned into his mouth. When Dean finally pulled away his eyes were shining and Cas was grinning back at him.

'Will that be sufficient research material?'

'Fuck, no,' Dean grinned back, pushing Cas down on the back seat and climbing onto his lap. 'I'm gonna need to do a whole lot more... err, research. Y'know... just to be sure.'

'It's important to collect plenty of data.'

'Of course,' and he smiled his way back to Cas's mouth but not before they both heard the sound of someone thumping on the window outside the car.

'You two done in there yet? It's freezing out here!' Sam complained loudly.

'Did you hear something, Cas?'

'No?' said Cas and it really looked like he hadn't, he was so wrapped up in Dean, starring greedily at his lips.

'Me neither,' he said with a smile and so they chose to ignore poor Sam in favor of licking into each others mouths, tasting every particle of the other that they could reach. Wound up so tight in each other that all their other senses seemed to disappear and all they were left with, all they were aware of anymore, was being locked close together. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll have the first chapter of the follow up fic to this up soonish (I don't want to say a day 'cause I sometimes underestimate). If you're interested and want to check it out, it'll be called Sensing Human. It'll be POV Cas, but follows on pretty much were this story leaves off. Thank you again for reading and hope you enjoyed, Jems xxx

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy this, it's just something I'm writing for a bit of light relief between more major projects but I'm enjoying it just the same. There will be five chapters but I'm planning a second related fic (another five chapters) from Cas's point of view. All chapters will probably stay quite short. 
> 
> Please, please, please (not to beg or anything) leave comments, it means the absolute world to me and I'm more than happy to take constructive criticism, 'cause I'm all for getting better :)
> 
> Love you guys, Jems xxx
> 
> (P.S. You can find me on Tumblr at: onceuponadestiel. Come and have a look and leave me a message, I'd love to hear from you x)


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